Has Fred Thompson Found His Role?

TIME ^ | May. 24, 2007 | Mark Halperin

[Josh Painter]

In the latest Time poll, he's at 10%, matching Mitt Romney. But Thompson is under no illusion that winning the White House would be easy, despite (or perhaps because of) his frequent acknowledgment that "certain doors have opened to me from time to time in my life."

That is not to say Thompson hasn't had to overcome many personal hardships — a marriage while in high school after conceiving a child with his teenage girlfriend, a subsequent divorce, a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 2 1/2 years ago and, perhaps most traumatic, the sudden death of his daughter Betsy in 2002 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. He is now married to a Republican political strategist and has two small children...

The single most compelling feature of a Thompson candidacy would be his magnetism...

Thompson is most often compared to Ronald Reagan, and the comparison is apt. Neither would be mistaken for an intellectual, but both got plenty of mileage out of regularly concealing their smarts. Both placed an emphasis on grand, classic American themes, and both offered a folksy way of describing the holy trinity of conservative dogma (lower taxes, less government and a strong national defense).

But unlike the genial Reagan, Thompson's manner can be brusque and his most natural expression is a scowl. Critics question his endurance..

But these critics may be underestimating his strengths. As with Hillary Clinton, this is not his first rodeo (a phrase that rolls smoothly in his accent). Like Barack Obama, he is poised and compelling. Like Rudy Giuliani, he can fall back on bold self-confidence in the face of tricky questions. Like John McCain, he can appeal to independents. And like George W. Bush in 2000, he presents a decided equanimity toward his future...

[Josh Painter]

Mark halperin has been Political Director of ABC News since 1997. He sent ABC news people a memo weeks before the 2004 election telling them to downplay misstatements by Democratic candidate John Kerry but to view negatively any misstatements by Republican candidate George Bush. Son of leftwing foreign policy expert Morton Halperin, who is closely linked to the far-left Institute for Policy Studies, to George Soros and to Democrat-aligned Center for American Progress, Halperin is the brother of a former Clinton speechwriter. He has written that the establishment media shares "biases and predilections" in favor of "liberal policy positions," but "We have a responsibility to hold both sides accountable to the public interest, but that doesn't mean we…hold both sides 'equally' accountable."



Fredipedia v2.34: The Definitive Fred Thompson Quick Reference

[hershey]

Fred will be the next President. Period.

[xcamel]

Ping!

[moonman]

"Thompson is most often compared to Ronald Reagan, and the comparison is apt. Neither would be mistaken for an intellectual"

Oh? Anyone who speaks and proves what they say is HIGHLY intellectual. What claim or standard to defining intelligence does this writer have?

[Loyal Buckeye]

Simple. Only Democrat candidates can be intellectuals.

[xsmommy]

fred ping!

[johnny7]

If it were possible... I would rather read a synopsis on Thompson by Karl Marx... than Mark Halperin.

[Always Right]

Thompson is most often compared to Ronald Reagan, and the comparison is apt. Neither would be mistaken for an intellectual

Perhaps not an 'intellectual', but brilliant men with common sense. If Reagan and Thompson are not 'intellectuals', I would not want an 'intellectual'.

[LibLieSlayer]

abc=(anti)AMERICAN broadcasting communists!

LLS

[LibLieSlayer]

Reagan’s writings have made scholars name him as an Intellectual Giant. halperin (sounds like a female cramp drug) is a commie nancy-boy!

LLS

[Steely Tom]

Neither would be mistaken for an intellectual

High praise indeed, coming from an intellectual of the main-stream media.

[Tarpon]

My guess that Mrs. Bill Clinton debating Fred Thompson would prove that once and for all.

[Josh Painter]

abc = always been communists
cbs = currently boosting socialism
cnn = Clinton’s nausiating network
nbc = nattering bloody commisars
msnbc = more socialist nattering bloody commisars
npr = negatively portraying Republicans
pbs = people being socialists

[LibLieSlayer]

So very true!

LLS

[Republican Babe]

My guess that Mrs. Bill Clinton debating Fred Thompson would prove that once and for all...........

The prospect of a televised debate with Republican presidential nominee, Fred Thompson, must leave Mrs. Bill Clinton shaking in her booties.

[LonePalm]

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[jellybean]

▲ Click to see where he stands on the issues. ▲

Draft Fred Thompson

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[tubebender]

Neither would be mistaken for an intellectual, but both got plenty of mileage out of regularly concealing their smarts

Not if we compare him to John Kerry and Al Gore Mr Hairpin...

[Savage Beast]

No, as usual, Time magazine gets it wrong again (but what do I know about it? I haven't read that rag in years.).

The single most compelling feature of a Thompson candidacy would be his...(apparent) commitment to lower taxes, less government and a strong national defense.

ANY clear-thinking, intelligent, benovelent human being would find that compelling. (For obvious reasons, the Left doesn't.)

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened."
~Winston Churchill~

Yes, especially those who are not looking for it--and those who are actively seeking to avoid it.

[seekthetruth]

From the article: “Critics question his endurance..”

I don’t! I believe that Fred Thompson would cut to the chase and quickly and firmly deal with important problems and if time, deal with the non-important crap! As long as he goes to the American people often and states what he wants to do and why, all will be great!